Je t’attendais
by slutzama
Summary: He tought he would die there, die alone. But then he came and picked him up.


**NOTE:: **It's a secret Santa present! Based on Hans Christian Andersen's _The Little Match Girl_… just with a happier ending and sexy moments.

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It was a snowy Christmas eve. A boy was walking in the cold, his feet and blond head bare. His brother had given him some slippers but they were way too big for him, so he had lost them when crossing a street, a boy picking them up and running away. Matthew, that was the name by which the boy was known, couldn't feel his toes anymore and his hands were red and sore. But the poor boy didn't dare to go back home. He hadn't sold a single box of matches, so his brother surely would've beaten him up. The freezing wind pinched his cheeks and surrounded his neck. Exhausted and weakened by the cold, he decided to nestle next to a wall at the corner of a street. He was so cold, the poor one, if he dared to use one of the matches he could surely warm his fingers a little. "Just one", he tought to himself, "brother won't notice anything."

And so Matthew took a match out of the box and lighted it. The boy wrapped his hand around the flame, and he felt like he was sitting in front of a large fireplace that emitted a bright, warm fire. He was about to lie down in front of the fireplace to warm himself, but suddenly, the fireplace disappeared. The match wasn't burning anymore. So the boy lighted another one, and this time, he could see through the brick wall! There was a large table decorated by a red cloth and candles; dishes made of porcelain contained food of all kind, and a large stuffed goose was releasing a delicious smell from the center of the table. The little boy held out his hand to taste the food on the table, but instead he just touched the cold, gray wall. The banquet had disappeared; there was only a small piece of the match left, all black and burnt between his fingers. He lighted yet another match and this time, saw a huge Christmas tree. It was the most beautiful one he had ever seen. Its branches were each adorned by rainbow colored lights and it was sparkling like a thousand stars. But within seconds the match went out and the tree vanished.

However, this time was different. When all that was left of the match were ashes, Matthew noticed someone in front of him. And he was really there, unlike the fireplace and the feast. Crouched down, piercing red eyes met the fading blue ones. The boy was intrigued by this man, lacking any color in his hair and skin, slightly intimidating and yet the gloved hands that were holding is own felt so warm and gentle. "What are you doing out here in the cold, on the eve of Christmas?" Matthew was cold to the point that he wasn't even able to articulate, unable to tell the silver-haired that he just couldn't go back home. Nonetheless, the man raised him to his feet, removing his scarf and gloves to dress Matthew with them. It was rather the kindness of the action that made the boy warmer, more than the wool making him able to slightly feel his fingers again.

All this time the boy was looking at the man with wide-opened eyes, such feelings of kindness unknown to him. "I don't know where you come from, but it can't be anywhere good. You're coming to my awesome home for tonight." Matthew wasn't given any time to answer, the older man took his hand and started walking in the streets of the town. They passed in front of colorful toy stores and bakeries, snow-coated rooftops, bright lights illuminating the streets, couples cuddling to stay warm on one side and multi-colored Christmas trees on the other. For the whole time the walk lasted, the man kept talking about everything and anything; his favorite Christmas treat, the best present he ever got, the house he lives in, himself. Matthew could only listen, frozen feet having a hard time to keep up, eyes still as bewildered as before, the box of matches well stored in his pocket, the boy took interest in whatever Gilbert, that's what the man called himself, was saying.

Matthew was surprised to see that the silver-head's home was quite large and made of logs, surprising contrast with the rest of the town. The boy felt so relieved when they entered the house, the sweet aroma of the air mixing with the warmth of the crackling fire. Gilbert helped him undress and brought him a warm blanket to cover himself with and offered Matthew a place in front of the fireplace. The boy couldn't believe what was happening to him. Just an hour ago, he was sitting in the snow, convinced that he was going to die there. And now, just like the lighted matches had shown him, a warm fire was giving life back to his members, little by little. Not to mention that the red-eyed man was showing so much compassion, the kind that Matthew had never even heard of before.

He was left to his own for a few minutes, but Gilbert came to join him after a while, sitting down on the carpet, right next to Matthew. They stayed like this for hours, still chatting about every little thing. Now that blood had returned to his face, the boy was able to answer Gilbert's questions, although it was this last one that did most of the talking. They didn't notice the time pass, and now the arrows were now pointed towards the 12, and only stars were piercing the black sky. "I-I must hurry back home! Brother will be worried…" Matthew was about to get up, but the other's hand suddenly settled on his own. "No, please, I don't want to be alone tonight." The boy was surprised to see a hint of sadness in the red eyes, and thought to himself that the warmth of this fireplace and of Gilbert's were worth everything, and that only hell would come of going back home. And so he stayed.

Matthew gasped when he felt the older man's warmth coming close, and he tried to shrug him off on reflex because his experiences told him that only hurt could follow. But it was gentle. A whisper. Rough lips on his own. Someone he didn't even knew yesterday was now hugging him, making Matthew feel warmer than he ever had. Gilbert pulled the young man onto his lap and cupped his face, deepening the kiss, unaware that the blonde's face was now as red as his own eyes. He pushed his tongue in when he felt the boy's lips part, probably trying to catch some air. Gilbert chuckled a little and grabbed the boy's hips as Matthew started wiggling on him. When he stopped squirming, Gilbert's hands let the hips go and dared to explore more of the boy's body, easily making a few moans escape the blonde's lips. The older man pushed the blanket off Matthew shoulders, and he let out a soft groan as he admired the young man's naked body. His hands approached the boy's hips again and he looked into the violet eyes, as if asking for authorization, and let his hands wander lower. Gilbert lowered into another kiss to muffle the louder moan that would've came out of Matthew's mouth as he was now thumbing the tip of the boy's cock. His fingers wrapped around the deceiving sized member and he softly went up and down the shaft, the other hand cupping the skinny butt. The silver-haired man was being so gentle with his touches, Matthew felt so good with him, returning the kiss as his hands held the other close, not wanting to lose him.

It was the first time that Matthew wouldn't be alone on Christmas. He could feel Gilbert's heart beating against him, telling himself that this was worth everything. That this was the best present he could ever have gotten from anyone in the world.

Affection. Friendship. Love.


End file.
